Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus for simulating rocket travel including blastoff and splashdown and including a board having an orbit path around which the playing pieces may travel a variable number of times a determined by chance. A playing piece having three different attitudes, with a base for each attitude having a special shape, is provided carrying magnetically attached markers and is moved about the game board which has separate sockets each shaped to accept one of the special shape bases of the game piece in one of its several attitudes. Dice are used to provide the element of chance in the game.

United States Patent [451 Mar. 21, 1972 Collett [54] BOARD GAME APPARATUS [72] Inventor: Frank W. Collett, Box 943, Fort Pierce,

Fla, 33450 [22] Filed: Apr. 10, 1970 [21] Appl.N0.: 27,344

[52} U.S.Cl. ..273/134 AE,273/134 AA,273/134 D, 273/136 B, 273/136 E, 273/137 AE, 273/137 AB [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 3/02 [58] Field of Search ..2'73/l 34, 137

[56) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,464 5/1908 Creasey ..273/l34 AD AttorneyBerman, Davidson and Berman ABSTRACT A game apparatus for simulating rocket travel including blastoff and splashdown and including a board having an orbit path around which the playing pieces may travel a variable number of times a determined by chance. A playing piece having three different attitudes, with a base for each attitude having a special shape, is provided carrying magnetically attached markers and is moved about the game board which has separate sockets each shaped to accept one of the special shape bases of the game piece in one of its several attitudes. Dice are used to provide the element of chance in the game.

6 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Patented March 21, 1972 3,650,534

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BOARD GAME APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to games of the dice control chance variety and includes playing pieces which are used on a game board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes a folding game board having printed indicia delineating a blastoff zone, a track leading from the blastoff zone to orbit, an orbit track, a track leading from orbit back to a landing zone and finally a landing zone. At spaced-intervals about the orbit track sockets are formed on the game board to accept the game pieces when in any one of three attitudes. Dice are used to control the chance of the game and magnetic markers are used on the game pieces to indicate by a number positioned uppermost on the marker the conditions of the game.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a game which closest simulates rocket travel and so retains the players interest.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specifications when considered in light of the at tached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is atop plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the magnetic die used for mission control" in the game;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view ofone ofthe markers;

FIG. 5 isa front elevation of one of the playing pieces;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the playing piece illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the playing piece with the rod removed;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the game board with the playing piece shown in circular attitude fitting in a circular socket in the game board;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the playing piece shown in rectangular attitude and fitting in a rectangular socket in the game board;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line l0l0 of FIG. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. I] is a fragmentary perspective view of the game piece shown in a triangular attitude fitted into a triangular socket in the game board; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the center of the board illustrating the mission control magnetic die of FIG. 3 serving as a marker.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures the reference numeral indicates generally a game constructed in accordance with the invention.

The game 20 includes a generally rectangular game board 21 supported on a frame 22. The game board 21 is divided in half at 23 and has the halves connected together by a hinge 24 positioned therebetween. The game board halves are adapted to fold onto each other to conserve space.

The game board 21 has surface indicia depicting a relatively small center circle 25 surrounded by a somewhat larger circle 26. Lines 27 divide the space between the circle 25 and the circle 26 into four equal segments which are each divided by a line 28 which indicates a coast line. The lines 27 and 28 divide the circle 26 into a plurality of blastoff spaces 29 each having a circle 30 and a plurality of landing areas 31 each having a circle 32. The circles 30 are positions for a man about to enter the game board for blastoff and the circle 32 receives the man who has completed his transit of the game board.

Four straight tracks 33 extend outwardly from each of the blastoff spaces 29 and landing areas 3E with each track having six spaces marked off therein. A base 35 is formed adjacent each of the tracks 33 and forms a spot for the four playing pieces used by each person playing the game prior to their own blastoff. At the other end of each of the straight tracks 33, is a generally rectangular area 36 containing a circular socket 37, a rectangular socket 38 and a triangular socket 39. An inner orbit circle 40 concentric with the circle 26 and much larger than the circle 26 is formed on the board along with the outer orbit circle 41 concentric with the circle 40. Intermediate each pair of the spaces 36 is a space 42 also containing a square socket 38, circular socket 37 and triangular socket 39. Six spaces are marked off between the orbit circles 40, 41 and between the spaces 36, 42.

Within the circle 25 a pair of ferro-metal half discs 43, 44 are embedded to form the circle 25 for reasons to be assigned.

A cubical die 45 containing numerals 1 through 6 on the six sides thereof is formed of magnetic material so that when placed on the semicircular pieces 43, 44 in the center of the board as illustrated in FIG. 12, it will remain in this position even though the board may be jiggled by the players.

A plurality of game pieces generally indicated at 46 in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, are provided with each player having four of the game pieces 46 to play the game. Each game piece 46 consists of a body 47 of generally cylindrical configuration and having a pair of highly sloping walls 48 meeting in a rounded nose 49 centrally of one end of the body 47. An axial bore 50 extends into the body 47 from the nose 49. A bore 51 opens completely across the body 47 perpendicular to the bore 50 and terminating at each end in the sloping faces 48. A bore 52 extends completely through the body 47 perpendicular to the bore 51 and perpendicular to the bore 50. The bores 50, 51, 52 are adapted to receive a bifurcated rod 53 which tightly fits therein and has a ferro-metal washer 54 secured thereto beyond the bifurcation therein. The upper ends of each of a group of four of the rods 53 are painted with a single color contrasting with the colors of the remaining rods 53.

In FIG. 8, cubical magnetic markers 55 having the numerals 1 through 6 marked on their respective faces are adapted to be positioned on the ferro-metal washer 54 of each of the game pieces 46 as indicators of the position of play.

In addition to the apparatus illustrated above, the game requires a pair of conventional dice having the sides marked with pips from one through six respectively.

The game may be played by two, three or four persons. Each player uses four game pieces 46 of identical colors. Each game piece has affixed to it a rod 53 with the rod being inserted in the bore 50 numbered three on the game piece.

The outer circular track on the game board delineated by the circles 40, 41 is called the orbit and the inner circle 26 delineates a space called earth. The game pieces are placed in the base 35. The dice are then thrown for the first play with the highest score being entitled to throw again for first play. The play is from left to right. Players throw in succession until a seven is thrown. The player throwing that number places one man on the circle 30 in the blastoff area 29.

After a player has one man on the launching pad 30 all his throws of the dice count for his entries to the launching pad or movement of men already on the board. Movement around the orbit is counterclockwise. The players throw in succession whether they have a man entered on the board or not. The count prior to having a man on the board is ignored.

After a man is on the playing board he is moved one space on the board for each point scored on the dice until he lands on one of the spaces 36 or 42. When on one of these spaces at the end of a count the player may at his option convert his piece from one attitude to another by removing the rod 53 and reinserting it into either the bore 51 or 52 thus giving the player a real or imagined advantage over his opponent.

With the rod 53 in a different position the multiplying factor for the thrown pair of dice is one-half or two as determined by first throwing one die of the dice, so that as the dice are then thrown the man may be moved either double the number of spots showing or one-half the number of spots showing according to the following schedule.

Factor Throw ufone die (For converted men only) "Vrorl Zorl When using a factor of VA and an odd number of spots is thrown, always take the next higher integer for determining the move,

On each conversion the man is penalized seven spaces rearwardly. However, if the second conversion is undesirable, it may be skipped, but a penalty of 14 spaces is still assessed (This applies to a two orbit game only). Prior to descending the path 33 to splashdown, the piece 46 must be returned to the starting, circular base, attitude with the rod 53 in the bore 50 and hence the piece must land on one of the spaces 36, 42 to permit this conversion before travel can be taken down the path to splashdown. When a man is on the descending path to splashdown, it cannot be counted as splashdown until a number is thrown which will count splashdown as a space and the exact count must be thrown,

ln FIGS. 9 and 10 the playing piece 46 is in a rectangular base attitude and is fitted into a rectangular socket 38. In FIG. 11 the playing piece 46 is in a triangular base attitude and is fitted into a triangular socket 39.

Before a game is started, players must agree unanimously on the number of orbits that will comprise the game and set the mission control magnet 45, see FIG. 12, in center circle 25 of the game board so that there can be no misunderstanding.

The game is won when all four playing pieces of a person have blasted off, orbited the board the agreed on number of times and each moved back to splashdown.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A game comprising a game board having indicia providing a blastoff area, an orbital path and a splashdown area, a plurality of game pieces including a generally cylindrical body having a triangular cross-sectional axial plane and a rectangu lar cross-sectional axial plane perpendicular to said triangular plane, said body having a bore perpendicular to each of said planes and a bore extending axially of said body, a rod selectively positioned in one of said bores to establish an attitude of said game piece, and a plurality of sockets in said game board with said sockets shaped to fit the cross-sectional planes of said body.

2. A game as claimed in claim 1 wherein a ferro-metal washer is mounted on said rod to support magnetic markers positioned thereon.

3. A game as claimed in claim 1 in which said game board is provided with a ferro-metal circular area centrally thereof to support a magnetic marker positioned thereon.

4. A game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rod is bifurcated to provide a frictional fit of said rod in said bores.

5. A game piece for use in a game ofa type including a game board, said piece comprising a cylindrical body having a circular end plane perpendicular to the axis of said body, a triangular cross-sectional axial plane extending perpendicularly to said circular plane, a rectangular cross-sectional axial plane extending perpendicularly to said circular plane and said triangular plane, a plurality of bores formed in said piece with one of said bores extending perpendicularly to each of said planes, and a rod selectively engageable in one of said bores for establishing the attitude of said ame piece.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said rod is bifurcated and has a ferro-metal washer secured thereto inter mediate the opposite ends thereof.

=l =l l= 

1. A game comprising a game board having indicia providing a blastoff area, an orbital path and a splashdown area, a plurality of game pieces including a generally cylindrical body having a triangular cross-sectional axial plane and a rectangular crosssectional axial plane perpendicular to said triangular plane, said body having a bore perpendicular to each of said planes and a bore extending axially of said body, a rod selectively positioned in one of said bores to establish an attitude of said game piece, and a plurality of sockets in said game board with said sockets shaped to fit the cross-sectional planes of said body.
 2. A game as claimed in claim 1 wherein a ferro-metal washer is mounted on said rod to support magnetic markers positioned thereon.
 3. A game as claimed in claim 1 in which said game board is provided with a ferro-metal circular area centrally thereof to support a magnetic marker positioned thereon.
 4. A game as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rod is bifurcated to provide a frictional fit of said rod in said bores.
 5. A game piece for use in a game of a type including a game board, said piece comprising a cylindrical body having a circular end plane perpendicular to the axis of said body, a triangular cross-sectional axial plane extending perpendicularly to said circular plane, a rectangular cross-sectional axial plane extending perpendicularly to said circular plane and said triangular plane, a plurality of bores formed in said piece with one of said bores extending perpendicularly to each of said planes, and a rod selectively engageable in one of said bores for establishing the attitude of said game piece.
 6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said rod is bifurcated and has a ferro-metal washer secured thereto intermediate the opposite ends thereof. 